Drug Testing
Gaining that little bit of competitiveness can lead to greater increases in performance. Steroids increase muscle mass and strength which helps athletes recover quicker from injuries. The most common sports where you would find the anabolic steroids are in body building, football, track & field power events and weightlifting. Another (1) performance enhancing drug is amphetamine. Amphetamine also has very serious side effects in the male and female body. Both males and females can experience feelings of anxiety and restlessness along with a rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. Amphetamines, as with any other performance drug, can become addictive. Athletes use the drug amphetamine to boost their alertness and in fighting of fatigue in sports. This type of drug is found in all sports except for the sports where very intense concentration is required. The last of the three most popular enhancement drugs is the human growth hormone (HGH). Like the previous two drugs, HGH also has major side effects that can permanently damage an athlete. HGH in men and women can cause the thickness of skin, can damage the internal organs, and the bones and facial features. More seriously use of HGH can lead to diabetes, heart disease and possibly a shortened life span. The human growth hormone is known as a steroid substitute and is used primarily in the sports where steroids are used. HGH is a popular drug because it is undetectable in urine, therefore athletes tend to use this drug because there will be no trace of the drug after a game or race. Performance enhancing drugs can have a very serious impact on the public. If the public reaches the point where they find that sports revolve around just drugs and less athleticism, the television viewers and attendance at sports contests will fall very quickly. If this does happen it may lead to financial problems for the athletes. Drug scandals may cause the media and athletic sponsors to re-think their commitment to that specific sport. Performance enhancing drugs are found in almost every type of athletic organization: pro sports, college sports, high schools (where it is very popular), through coaches, other athletes and the black market. In professional sports it is very likely to see them while athletes are in the training stages before their season begins. It is very common to see the performance drugs being used by the rookies (2) as well. A young...